The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-04-28

ing SteundU, SLOdudIu dHo Otiiei
Well Known Literary Characters
"The Russian Novelists.'
SpectnE correspondence Qt tie d0Ld Leaf.
New YORK, April 22, 1887.
Few authors have, perhaps, been so
misjudged from their portraits as has
Mr.. Thomas Bailey Aldrich. 1t must
be confessed that not a little of this
erroneous popular belief is strength
ened if one looks at the photograph
constantly put before the public. But
if the print in question gives one such
an impression, it requires only the
most casual meeting with the man him
self to instantly remove 1t. 1t Is true
that Mr.. Aldrich dresses well, but he
is not inclined to foppishness by any
means. On the contrary, his dress is
that Of a gentleman, quiet, submissive
and scrupuIously neat. No man Is
more adverse to newspaper talk about
himself or his works than Mr.. Aldrich,
and it is seldom that one reads any
thing about his personnel. 10 meet
Mr.. Aldrich is to meet one OF the most
entertaining and social of men. His
disposition is kind and his manners
the same to all-plcasant and agree
able. His only enemies are made, as
he himself says, through the editorial
pen when it is used in the decllnation
of manuscripts sent to him. Nine
O clock every morning finds Mr.. AL
drich at his editorial desk in the Of
fee Of the atlantic NOnttl, in Park
street, Boston. He is a hard and
steady worker, and it VIII probably
surprise many to know that Mr.. Al
drlch's position as editor is not the
easy berth commonly maintained He
reads every lire that appears in the
atlantic, and leaves only very little
proof reading to his assistant. His
correspondence also receives his pei
sonal attention.; and beside this work
every manuscript sent in Is read and
passed upon by him. At II O'Clock
in the morning he goes to his home
and enjoys late breakfast with his
wife, mother and his two boys, who
then have their college recess. These
| boys, apropos, are exceedingly inter
esting in that they are twins, the one
bearing the most striking resemblance
to the other. After his meal Nj. AL
drich returns to the office, where he
remains until $50, when he goes home
! for the day. The author resides on
Mt. Vernon street--a locality which
he once described to me- as looking
$50 EnglIsh' that you can imagine the
inmates sitting in the balconies and
letting their h's drop with a crack on
the pavement beloW-ln a home
of positive luxurlanCe and comfort.
Everything about the house is tasteful
and of the richest description. Ihl
walls are adorned with portraits and
engravings of eminent writers, and
each has fixed underneath them some
bit of original manuscript IN the sub
ieCt's autograph. Mr.. AldriCh share:
the pardonable hobby of many in Sc
curing the pen tracks of great authors
and between this and his large library
he spends considerable time. Hi:
mother resides with him, and to he1
the son IS as devotedly attached as She
to him. He is thoroughly dome. tic
and finds his greatest pleasure with hi
family. Mr.. AIdrich's study, or ''den,
as he terms it, is the front room OF the
second story, and from this chambe
in the house emanate those eNCeedngl,
clever stories that have Won for thei
author so large a circle of readers ant
admirers.
Beecher literature promises to be eN
ceedingly plentiful even If only one
half OF the proposed works concernn:
the dead preacher ever see the light 0
dav. From what can be learned ther
, are not less than four different blogra
phies of Mr.. BeeCher Intended, al
though only one of these has received
the approval of Mrs. Beecher and ne
I family. This is the forthcoming wor
. . of Mr. Joseph Howard, to be issued Il
a very few days by the subscription
house of Hubbard Bros, of Phlladel
phia Mr.. Howard's father was tn
virtual starter of Plymouth church an
the most intimate friend of Mr.. Beeche
for nearly half a century. This tact
with Howard 5 access to hundreds {
letters written by Mr., Beecher whic
have never yet been made public
6 ought to make his work interestin
from that point of view and valuable
These letters, it seems, were write
about forty years ago, when Nj
Beecher was but "a years OF age, an
..Toe," in bib and tucker, was going
school in his native town OF Brooklyn
Concerning the forthcoming wor
by Prof. De Laveleye on the Balka
J Peninsula, Mr.. Gladstone has write